In the United States Court of Federal Claims 

OFFICE OF SPECIAL MASTERS

No. 17-0324V

(not to be published)

CANDACE DEMPSEY,

 Petitioner,

v.

SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND 

HUMAN SERVICES,

 Respondent.

Chief Special Master Corcoran

Filed: November 5, 2019

Special Processing Unit (SPU); 

Attorney’s Fees and Costs

Rachel Elizabeth Gusman, Graves, McLain, Tulsa, OK, for petitioner.

Heather Lynn Pearlman, U.S. Department of Justice, Washington, DC, for respondent.

DECISION ON ATTORNEY’S FEES AND COSTS1

On March 9, 2017, Candace Dempsey (“Petitioner”) filed a petition for 

compensation under the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, 42 U.S.C. 

§300aa-10, et seq.,

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(the “Vaccine Act”). Petitioner alleges that she suffered 

thrombocytopenic purpura as a result of a measles, mumps, and rubella (“MMR”) vaccine 

she received on March 11, 2014. (Petition at 1). A decision was issued on July 19, 2019,

by then-Chief Special Master Dorsey, awarding compensation to petitioner based on the 

parties’ stipulation. (ECF No. 48). 

 

1 Although I have not designated this Decision for publication, it will be made available on the United States 

Court of Federal Claims’ website in accordance with the E-Government Act of 2002. 44 U.S.C. § 3501 note 

(2012) (Federal Management and Promotion of Electronic Government Services). In accordance with 

Vaccine Rule 18(b), Petitioner has 14 days to identify and move to redact medical or other information, the 

disclosure of which would constitute an unwarranted invasion of privacy. If, upon review, I agree that the 

identified material fits within this definition, I will redact such material from public access.

2 National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986, Pub. L. No. 99-660, 100 Stat. 3755. Hereinafter, for ease 

of citation, all “§” references to the Vaccine Act will be to the pertinent subparagraph of 42 U.S.C. § 300aa 

(2012).
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Petitioner has now filed a motion for attorney’s fees and costs dated September 6, 

2019 requesting a total award of $15,627.20, consisting of fees in the amount of 

$14,815.00 and costs in the amount of $812.20. (ECF No. 52). In compliance with 

General Order #9, petitioner filed a signed statement indicating that petitioner incurred no 

out-of-pocket expenses. (ECF No. 52- 3). Respondent reacted to the motion on 

September 4, 2019, indicating he is satisfied the statutory requirements for an award of 

attorney’s fees and costs are met in this case and defers to the Court’s discretion to 

determine a reasonable award of attorney’s fees and costs in this case. (ECF No. 53). 

Petitioner did not file a reply thereafter. 

For the reasons set forth below, I hereby GRANT Petitioner’s motion in part, 

awarding final attorney’s fees in the amount of $14,777.20.

ANALYSIS

The Vaccine Act permits an award of reasonable attorney’s fees and costs. § 

15(e). Counsel must submit fee requests that include contemporaneous and specific 

billing records indicating the service performed, the number of hours expended on the 

service, and the name of the person performing the service. See Savin v. Sec’y of Health 

& Human Servs., 85 Fed. Cl. 313, 316-18 (2008). Counsel should not include in their fee 

requests hours that are “excessive, redundant, or otherwise unnecessary.” Saxton v. 

Sec’y of Health & Human Servs., 3 F.3d 1517, 1521 (Fed. Cir. 1993) (quoting Hensley v. 

Eckerhart, 461 U.S. 424, 434 (1983)). It is “well within the special master’s discretion to 

reduce the hours to a number that, in [her] experience and judgment, [is] reasonable for 

the work done.” Id. at 1522. Furthermore, the special master may reduce a fee request 

sua sponte, apart from objections raised by respondent and without providing a petitioner 

notice and opportunity to respond. See Sabella v. Sec’y of Health & Human Servs., 86 

Fed. Cl. 201, 209 (2009). A special master need not engage in a line-by-line analysis of 

petitioner’s fee application when reducing fees. Broekelschen v. Sec’y of Health & 

Human Servs., 102 Fed. Cl. 719, 729 (2011).

The petitioner “bears the burden of establishing the hours expended, the rates 

charged, and the expenses incurred.” Wasson v. Sec’y of Health & Human Servs., 24 Cl. 

Ct. at 482, 484 (1991). She “should present adequate proof [of the attorneys’ fees and 

costs sought] at the time of the submission.” Id. at 484 n.1. Petitioner’s counsel “should 

make a good faith effort to exclude from a fee request hours that are excessive, 

redundant, or otherwise unnecessary, just as a lawyer in private practice ethically is 

obligated to exclude such hours from his fee submission.” Hensley, 461 U.S., at 434.
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ATTORNEY FEES

Petitioner requests an hourly rate of $250.00 for attorney Rachel Gusman and a 

paralegal rate of $100 per hour for all work performed from 2014 – 2019. (ECF No. 52-

2). These amounts have been previously awarded to Ms. Gusman and her paralegals 

and I find no reason to deviate from them. The requested hourly rates are awarded herein. 

Upon review of the billing records submitted, it appears that a number of entries 

are for tasks considered clerical or administrative. In the Vaccine Program, secretarial 

work “should be considered as normal overhead office costs included within the attorneys’ 

fee rates.” Rochester v. U.S., 18 Cl. Ct. 379, 387 (1989); Dingle v. Sec’y of Health & 

Human Servs., No. 08-579V, 2014 WL 630473, at *4 (Fed. Cl. Spec. Mstr. Jan. 24, 2014). 

“[B]illing for clerical and other secretarial work is not permitted in the Vaccine Program.” 

Mostovoy, 2016 WL 720969, at *5 (citing Rochester, 18 Cl. Ct. at 387). Over eight hours 

was billed on organizing and uploading documents. These entries include: 

• March 7, 2017 (2.0 hrs) “Organize exhibits”

• March 8, 2017 (2.0 hrs) “Organize exhibits” 

• October 11, 2017 (1.0 hrs) “File review; organize records”

• October 12, 2017 (1.0 hrs) “Organize records for file”

• October 13, 2017 (2.5 hrs) “Compile exhibits for upload” 

(ECF No. 52-1 at 4-5)

I shall reduce the request for attorney fees in the amount of $850.00, the total 

amount of tasks considered administrative. 

ATTORNEY COSTS

Petitioner requests reimbursement for attorney costs in the amount of $812.20.

After reviewing Petitioner’s invoices, the undersigned finds no cause to reduce 

Petitioner’s’ request and awards the full amount of attorney costs sought.

CONCLUSION

Accordingly, I GRANT IN PART, Petitioner’s motion for attorney fees and costs 

and award the total of $14,777.20 in the form of a check payable to Petitioner and her 

counsel, Rachel Elizabeth Gusman, Esq. In the absence of a motion for review filed 
4

pursuant to RCFC Appendix B, the clerk of the court SHALL ENTER JUDGEMENT in 

accordance to this motion.

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IT IS SO ORDERED.

s/Brian H. Corcoran

Brian H. Corcoran

Chief Special Master

 

3 Pursuant to Vaccine Rule 11(a), entry of judgment can be expedited by the parties’ joint filing of notice 

renouncing the right to seek review.